thursday, july 12

after a long day of travel, we made it to venice. we got off the plane and it was hott (yes, so hot that the word itself needed two t's). we stayed at the hotel bologna, turned into a best western. it is outside of the city of venice, in mestre (just south of venice proper), so we have to take a train into venice proper to see the sites and to get some dinner. venice is so beautiful. just as beautiful and romantic as you believe it is. you come out of the train station into this big plaza that runs right up to the grand canal. we hopped a ferry and rode to piazza san marco. these pictures were taken from the ferry:how nice to take a break and dip your feet in the canals. except, also, a little gross.

there are tons of gondolas around the canals, but there are even more big ferry buses and private motor boats and taxis, so it is not quite as romantic.

ahh, venice. my love.

we disembarked at the piazza san marco, which is famous for the pigeons that flock there to be fed. you may remember a certain jewelry commercial that capitalized on it a few years ago. but if you can't, don't worry, it was a stupid commercial anyway. the basillica san marco is gigantic, and is so amazing in the light of the setting sun. the front faces west, and is covered with gold gilding, so it shines and glimmers like nothing else i have ever seen.

san marco from the side, coming from the canal

san marco from the front.

we found a little restaurant and had dinner (everywhere in venice is expensivo beyond belief), then looked around. we had fun watching people feed the hundreds of thousands of pigeons that fly into the square expecting to be fed. at night the tide comes in and the water in the canals rises. in the square are little grates and the the water rises up through the grates and floods the square:
after dinner we went on a gondola ride through the side canals of venice. here i am trying to get on the gondola while the waves sent it a-rockin':i loved when we would turn down a quiet, empty canal--it was so peaceful. the atmosphere and quiet beauty of the experience was incredible. we passed marco polo's house, the house where mozart lived and worked, casanova's house, the doge's palace, and the bridge of sighs. the doge was the ruler of venice, much like a prince. the bridge of sighs is so called because it is a covered bridge that crosses the canal between the doge's palace and the prison. when prisoners were sentenced and condemned in the court held at the palace, they would have to cross the bridge to the prison and pass a small window. the prisoners would look out the window and sigh at their last sight of venice and of freedom. what a sad story.

the bridge of sighs

after the gondola ride, we took a ferry back to the train station, and then a train back to mestre. i showered, then went to bed.